History Jim Hall's Chaparrals-American Innovation

he also got the idea for the sucker car from a kid's drawing that was sent to him in "fan" mail! ha-ha, oh boy that was lame, I am tired...true story 'tho!

 

With an "exposed" early Chaparral II

 

The original Chaparral sold "Team Meridian" 1963

"Harry Heuer, scion of the Peter Hand Brewery family, bought the first customer car #002. He raced it for his "Meister Brauser" team alongside the team's single remaining Scarab."

From Tams old race car site

 

Another view of the 2F sporting a Cox decal. Art imitates life.

 

Working flagging and comunications at turn 1 at Donnybrooke during a Can Am race was one of the best experiences of my road racing days.
Went to the Can Am reunion at Road America about 20 years ago and watched 20 plus Can Am cars race at once what a experience.
With todays mentality you will never see unlimited racing like that again. Maybe that why I ended up here - more creativity.

jim h

 

Damn that was one of my dream cars when I was younger. The floating wing was just the chit man.

 

You guys are going to hate me for this, I know these cars are important historicaly and were great race cars but they are UGLY!
Sorry,
Doc.

 

unlimited engines now would get lots of people killed

 

I wont hate you, but I'll certainly disagree with you!

 

They just dont have the grace of cars like the Cobra, Daytona Coupe and GT40. I know, different class but they just lack something? I dunno what, but hey I do appreciate them!

 

I crewed a bit for Charlie Kemp on his McClaren CanAm car, those things were pure american horse power. We had a ball, travelled in a cubie truck with the car in back, sponsored by RC cola. Remember the Shadow? That was a wicked piece of work, if somebody has a pic please post it. I don't think they ever got it sorted out but it was as creative as the chapperal - just the engineering wasn't quite the same. I'm thinking '67ish. I think they were aluminum BBC injected crate motors, wicked pieces, lots of power. The cars were marvels to look at with the skin off, beautiful workmanship and durable. Yes, those were the days.

 

GO figure, another reason to go to Texas. Thanks! One of my all time favorite car guys.

 

oj, check out http://ultimatecarpage.com/frame.php?file=search.php&keys=shadow&method=0

 

it would end up very much like formula 1, where they would use tires and down force to limit traction (and speed).

would have been great to see those cars run at full chat though.

I would really like to build myself a reproduction of Chaparral #1.

 

The early cars, especially, were very pretty, clean and functional like a race car should be.

 

The sucker car will always be a favorite of mine....ugly(?), heck yeah!

I remember, as a kid, having a tyco HO scale slot car version of that car, anyone else?

 

The first "air Brake" movable wing

Missed it by 10 years.
1955 Mercedes 300SLR (not the sports car, but the DOHC desmo L8 driven by Moss/Jenkinson) had a pop-up "dive brake" wing on the rear deck operated by the driver, provided .3 g when active.

And, of course, both stolen from aircraft designers...

Hall was also criticized for using a "girl's transmission", instead of the gen-u-ine he-man double-clutch, breaks up with 300 hp, no synchro junk half of them still used.
His idea: 1/2 Powerglide, 1/2 Super Turbine 300 for a 2-speed with variable ratio converter.

Wasn't quite so funny when he beat them by cheating (cheating means: "you did something completely legal by the rules that we could have done, but didn't think of, so you must be evil!"), so they did what all true sportsmen do: they made the car illegal.

 

OJ, the UOP Shadow was the tits! I remember these cars at Watkins Glen like it was yesterday. Bruce McClaren walked back to the pits past us after his car broke.

 

They will build you a "continuation" 2E with the foot pedal "flapper" wing and the small block, I don't know the price tag...like a full size cox slot car except with more zeroes

 

Shadow

 

Charlie Kemp

 

Seeing these cars run at Mid Ohio was always a great day. One of the years we were there I was able to meet Hall and check out the Chaparral, (due to a GM designer and home town friend and of his - Jim Barron). Must have been '65 or so. Fun times.

 

Here's a pic I got from somewhere of the Chaparral running at Bridgehampton in '68.

 

USRRC and Can-Am (Group 7) racing was by far the most exciting and most competitive I have been associated with in over fifty years. Jim Hall truly was a genius in every way. And, a damn nice guy. A rare combination. Nothing in racing these days compares.

 

mi favorito:

 

wheeee...

 

couple threads on this here very subject-lots of pics
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=258902&highlight=chapparal
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=306941

and..my wall

 

Love those old big inch 5000 cars. I know the earlier Hemis were used in some road race applications but never heard of the 426 used in Formula 5000 or anywhere else. Seems to me some of those North Carolina shops could have built a potent powerplant with an alloy Donovan block. Anyone about that?

 

Formula 5000 used production based 5litre V8 engines ( 5000cc )

It was meant to be a budget version of the then current F1.

As far as I know, they used Chevy, Ford and Holden engines.


There were some Road Race cars with Hemi's in them, like the McKee Can Am racer.

 

Wow, these pics are fantastic. Back then there was always a special spectator parking area and it'd be packed with 427 corvettes, nasty little cobra's and 2 or 3 GT40s' with the owners bitching about the cost replacing the headers since they'd rust out so quick. A picture of one of those parking lots would be something, the value would be staggering.
I recall the shadow at the glen, they had these hand made wheels, very tiny. I didn't know that McClaren drove one, Charlie owned Bruces' one year old car (ex-chamion). It was at the glen that the STP folks handed out free jackets to the pit crews, my sister was up from florida and took pics of the car and myself with an instamatic and those were in the pocket of the jacket. I laid the jacket across the pit wall to load the tools and move the car, when i went to get it the jacket was gone. Somebody got some nice pictures.
We didn't do well that race, the drysump oil tank got overfilled and Charlie had to pull in so we could suck the extra oil out.